Subscribe to our blogs

Broadcast media continues to be an important news medium for Americans

By:Â Melissa Reeves

While social media is becoming a major source of news and information, you mustn’t forget about the influence of broadcast media. Broadcast media is still the most powerful source of news, and among certain demographics, viewership of TV news is increasing, not decreasing.

According to a September 2012 Pew research study, 48% of people under the age of 50 regularly watch local news, and 34% of people under 50 regularly watch cable news. But the biggest viewership comes from people 50 and older. In fact, 60% of people older than 50 watch local news regularly, and 43% watch cable news regularly.

One category that shouldn’t be overlooked is the baby boomer population. According to a report by CBS News, one fifth of the U.S. population will be 65 or older by the year 2030, and currently the buying power of the baby boomers is $3.4 trillion annually. This is why TV viewership of people older than 50 is so crucial; the buying power of this demographic cannot be understated.

Therefore, when your business or organization is mentioned on national TV, you are not only reaching almost 50% of the U.S. population, you are also reaching an incredibly high percentage of people with a lot of disposable income.

If you’re a small business or public figure, tracking broadcast coverage is incredibly important, because you need to know how you’re being portrayed in this relevant and powerful medium. And don’t fear that social media is killing traditional news. Pew also reports that even on sources of new media (ie: social media), 80% of links posted are to articles and videos from newspapers and broadcast news websites.